A Talk with Roy
by BobMalooga
Summary: Tim Drake and Roy Harper talk about the Protector.


## A Talk With Roy: Part Two of the Protector's Origin

Written by Keith Kilburn 

Tim Drake wasn't suppose to be in Metropolis, but he was and chances were that both Bat-Man and his father Jack Drake weren't going to be happy if and when they found out he was somewhere he wasn't suppose to be. 

Bat-Man, because Tim Drake was secretly Robin...The third young man to bare that name and hold that office. Tim worked hard at it, Harder then Jason Todd, the previous Robin had and harder then the Robin before him. Tim had none of their natural talents and had to strive to achieve all that he had gained in the two years since he had become Robin. 

Jack Drake would be upset simply because Tim had lied about where he was going, Even though Metropolis was only an hour away from Gotham by plane and even though Tim could take care of himself better then most people twice his age he had lied and told his father that he was going Christmas shopping and instead had gone to Metropolis. 

He was in Metropolis searching for Roy Harper, he was looking for Arsenal. 

Exiting his plane Tim went over to a nearby row of lockers and pulled out a locker key, before keying the lock. The last Time Tim was in Metropolis he had hidden his costume in a gym bag in this locker, not knowing any other way to get it back to Gotham or through luggage inspection After having to fight Vampires with Jimmy Olsen and Superman. This time he would just send it Federal express to himself, a trick he picked up from Dick Grayson. 

"Now...How best to find Roy Harper..." Tim thought aloud to himself, before glancing up at the bank of TV's mounted on the international airports wall before seeing a picture of Roy dressed like Arsenal flashed across multiple screens. "Cool, this makes my job easier." Tim said as he listen to Jimmy Olsen's coverage of the hostage situation that was still unfolding in the First National bank of Metropolis, Slinging the gym bag over his shoulder Tim raced from his departure gate to the nearest exit of the airport hurdling two luggage carts as he went. Clearing the Doors Tim raced up to the nearest cab, leaping feet first into the air Tim entered the cab through the open back window startling the cabby as he landed. "First National bank of Metropolis and Step on it." Waving a twenty in the cabbies direction, Tim was pushed back into his seat as they peeled out moving uptown from the airport. 

"Trust me" 

Those were the words Roy Harper spoke as he stood staring at the hold up victim being held hostage, The former Hold-up man, now turned hostage taker looked quickly at his scattered and broken friends before looking at the former Sidekick turned CBI agent turned Costumed vigilante. 

"Let the Woman go and we can talk about this in a calm and reasonable manner." Roy said holding his hands up at shoulder level to show that he was unarmed and willing to talk, but the hold man had seen this "Unarmed" man take out his four armed friends with a Bic pen, a hair brush and a baby bottle. 

"I don't think so....Back off or I kill her..." Brian finally said. 

It was suppose to be a simple bank heist, Brian had went along with it to make some quick cash and suddenly it went to hell when this red-haired menace came out of no where and begin kicking butt and taking names...But now Brian was taking control of the situation. 

"You don't want to do that...Believe me you don't want to hurt her...that would be a major mistake on your part." Roy said trying not to get anymore distracted by the long leggy thigh of the blond hostage as he talked to her captor who spoke suddenly. "And why not?" Brian asked anger rising in his voice as he glared at Roy Harper who just smiled a sloppy grin at the hold up man as he replied. 

"Laser sights" 

"What???" Brian asked looking at Roy Harper incredulously as though he had never heard the words before and then Roy slowly began to explain to him. "The Cops are here, Snipers from the Metropolis SCU or the local SWAT team has a bead on you even as we speak...And they use Laser sights." Pausing to let the hostage taker think about it Roy slowly looked around at the other panicked hostages in the bank. Brian's eyes darted around wildly as the tension built and finally he spoke. 

"OH FRAG" Brian said with a panicked tone in his voice. 

"Listen to me carefully here...." Roy said with a snap of his fingers to get the hold-up mans attention again as he spoke. "The last thing you want to do is to hurt anyone...The trained snipers at the other end of those laser sights will NOT hesitate to riddle you full of bullets if you harm that beautiful young lady...Do you understand what I am telling you?" 

Brian carefully nodded as the attractive blond weakly smiled through her tears at Roy. 

"You are in luck though..." Roy continued as he looked around the First National Metropolis bank as Brian listened intently. "It just so happens that I have been trained as a hostage negotiator and I think I can get you out of here and get you your demands fulfilled but you have to listen to me ok?" 

Brian again nodded. 

"OK here is what I need you to do...Release these people and Ill ask them for...A helicopter." Roy said smiling at the hold-up man again, Brian gave it some thought again and then asked. "What's to keep them from blowing me away when I get outside with this babe?" Roy knew this question would come up, it always did, keeping his voice level Roy spoke firmly. "Because you are gonna take me as a hostage as well...and I promise you they wont fire on you not with me and..." pausing as he realized that he didn't know the hostages name Roy then asked quietly. "Miss, what is your name?" 

"S..Sh..Shelly" She replied in a voice that was barely a whisper. 

Nodding as he continued. "I promise you that they wont fire on you because you have me and Shelly as hostages and they wont want to hurt either one of us....Take my word on that, Shelly and I wont give you any trouble...Right Shelly?" Roy said making sure to insert Shelly's name as much as possible to humanize her and to make her less of a "Thing" in the hostage takers eyes, Shelly nodded very slowly in agreement. 

The tension in the room was lifted slightly as Brian replied. "OK...but you let them know that I ain't playin' a game and if I don't get what I wont people will get hurt." Roy nodded at the Hostage taker and slowly turned and walked towards the bank doors and then beyond them. 

Maggie Shaw the head of Metropolises Special Crime Unit meet him as he cleared the outer doors, Roy smiled at her as she approached him. "What's going on in there Agent Harper or is it Arsenal?" Maggie asked 

"Lets try Roy for now and if that feels comfortable enough we can slid into something else later..." Roy said as he approached the tall police officer and then continued before she could get in another word. "Five geeks wandered in and tried to hold up the bank, I disabled four of them before mister wonderful grabbed a hostage and began waving a gun...Thanks to your boys on the roof I have him ready to release all of the hostages but me and the girl for a helicopter..." Pausing introspectively Roy then asked. "Not that I'm ungrateful or anything but how is it that you and the SCU unit got here so quick?" 

"It just so happens that Intergang was trying to pull off some sort of caper two blocks over at the Siegal and Shuster Diamond exchange, The bank's silent alarm went off and we responded." Maggie said as she peered over Roy's shoulder into the bank, spotting the Hostage and the assailant in question Maggie leaned back so that Roy was blocking her before asking one last question of him. "Do you think you can get a clear shot at him if I gave you a gun?" Roy nodded at her before replying quietly. "Without a doubt, Just call your men off...I'd hate to get caught in the crossfire." 

"I'll work on the helicopter." Maggie said as she slipped Roy a pistol, which he tucked down into the front of his pants, Turning the inspector began barking orders into her radio to her sharp-shooters. looking out into the crowd Roy spotted someone who probably shouldn't have been in Metropolis and nodded at him. 

Tim nodded back as Roy turned and went back into the bank. 

Moving back across the threshold of the bank Roy smiled his devil-may-care-grin at the hold up man before beginning to speak, his mind raced trying to think of a way to save this poor bums life and get the gun away from him without having to shoot him. "Ok here is the deal, The copter is on the way...should be here in five minutes they are gonna land right outside the doors or as close as they can get to that. All we have to do is cross that distance." Brian nodded before replying. "Something's wrong with this whole situation...This is all going to easy...The cops never cave this quick.." Pausing to think for a second Brian then asked. "Who are you...A cop?" 

"Nope...I'm Roy Harper, you might know me better if I had a quiver of arrows and a bow." Roy replied sarcastically with a cool smile, Brian's eyes went wide as he recognized the name. "Your Speedy...." He blurted out and Roy made a face before shaking his head and then the idea that Roy had been searching for came to him. 

"You'd think that people would forget an old code name two years after you stop using it.." Roy muttered as he shook his head before finally saying. "The name, by the way is Arsenal now...NOT Speedy I haven't been Speedy in two years." 

Brian blinked and then grew angry at the red haired menace that had ruined this whole heist, moving the pistol from Shelly's head Brian aimed it at Roy in anger. 

This is what Roy had wanted. 

Brian looked at Roy and Roy at Shelly who noticed as Roy quickly caused his eyes to dart left before looking back at the would be hostage taker. Raising her foot to knee level Shelly slammed her boot heel back into the hold up mans shin and raked the heel down as hard as she could. 

Brian screamed and loosened his grip on Shelly as she escaped and moved left, Brain aimed at Roy who sprung left as he pulled the pistol out of the front of his pants and fired at the gun in the hold up mans hand. 

The deafening report of the pistol going off was the only sound other then the baited breath off all those in the bank watching this event unfold. 

The round from Roy's pistol impacted with Brian's gun with enough force to break the bones in his hand and send the pistol flying out of his hand and across the bank counter twenty feet away. Brian screamed in pain again as Roy landed in a sideways roll and came back up onto his feet with his pistol aimed at Brian who was to shocked from the pistol being shot out of his hand to even move much less put up any sort of fight. 

"On the ground....NOW." Roy barked as SCU agents burst through the front door with weapons drawn and ready to use. 

Brian hit the floor quickly and prayed to whatever gods he worshiped that the trained officers wouldn't shoot him as Shelly and the other hostages began running past the police officers to get out of the bank. 

Smiling at Maggie Shaw as she entered the bank Roy slowly walked back over to her and handed the pistol back. "I thought you said you could take him out if you had a clear shot?" Maggie asked as she checked the pistol before re-holstering it on her hip, Roy just smiled and replied matter of factly. "Lets just say I took the situation out of his hands...Besides anyone could have shot that poor schmuck dead. But I'm the only person I know who can shoot a pistol out of someone's hand midway through a sideways roll." 

Maggie rolled her eyes before saying. "let me get your statement and then your out of here Roy." Following The tall police officer out to her car Roy casually replied. "No dinner and a movie..Just the facts." 

Tim Drake waited down the block for over an hour before Roy Harper finally freed himself from both the police and the news-people, meeting him halfway in-between the little cafe Tim had found and the bank where Roy had just freed a dozen hostages. 

"What are you doing in Metropolis kid?" Roy asked as Tim fell in walking beside him carrying the gym bag, looking over at the older Titan Tim replied in frank manner. "I'm looking for you." Roy nodded before stopping dead in his tracks and staring at Tim. 

"Why?" He asked and then added. "Ill assume it is something semi-official as you are carrying the gym bag with your costume in it, Is Dick in trouble?" Staring open mouthed at Roy, Tim quickly replied. "Nothing official...I just need to ask you a few questions is all...Dick is ok...How did you know my costume was in the bag?" 

"Well as slack as Gotham Internationals security is, I'm sure they would have stopped you at the boarding gate when they x-rayed the bag and found the costume and all of the wonderful toys in the belt....So I'm assuming that the last time you were in Metropolis that you left the costume here in an airport locker...In the event that you might need it later." Roy replied as he stared at a cute redhead across the street and then smiled as he turned back towards Tim and added. "So what you are saying is that your here without permission of any sort to ask me a few questions that you could have gotten the answers for with a phone call?" 

"And here I thought you were only good with a bow and some trick arrows." Tim said after the initial shock wore off, looking Roy in the eyes Tim then answered the question he posed as they continued walking. "Yeah, I'm here without permission..I would have called but I wanted to talk to you in person." 

Roy stopped and regarded Tim on the street corner for a few seconds before he finally spoke again. 

"Must be pretty serious stuff for you to come all this way to talk to me...I was trained pretty extensively by the CBI and Checkmate, they thought I might be more useful if I could do something other then 'shoot a bow and some trick arrows'." Roy noted and watched Tim out of the corner of his eye as they neared his apartment building, suddenly Roy added as though it were an after thought. "No questions about my sex life Junior or I'll have you busted back to short pants before you know what's happen." Tim smirked as they entered the apartment building and just shook his head. 

Roy's apartment looked as though a bomb had went off in it and the city had forgot to condemn it, the couch had seen better days and the baby pen in the corner and the Toys all over the place added a certain ambiance to it. Smiling Roy grabbed dirty clothes and old newspapers and disposed of them properly before offering his visitor a place to sit. 

"Want anything to drink? Id hate to hear from Dick that you came all this way and I didn't at least try to give you something to drink." Roy said with a smile as he moved from the living room into the kitchen, Tim smiled back before replying. "Do you have any Soder Cola?" The sound of Roy rummaging through a fridge segued into Roy's response. "Sure." 

Returning with a bottle in each hand Roy climbed over the back of the couch before sitting next to the younger crime fighter, handing him the bottle Roy asked what was on his mind. 

"So what made you travel all the way to the big city to see me youngster? Roy asked trying to do his best imitation of Grandpa Simpson, Soder cola almost came out Tim's nose as he tried to stifle the building laughter in him. Waiting until he had swallowed the soda and had stopped coughing Roy watched in amazement as Tim got the same look on his face that Dick Grayson got whenever he was getting ready to talk business. 

Roy smiled inwardly as Tim replied. 

"I want you to tell me about the Protector." Tim said. 

Sitting on the couch in stunned silence the scarlet archer stared at the younger crime fighter strangely for a few seconds before finally speaking again. "You know Dick is really the one to talk to about Jason Hart right? I mean he did train him he knows him better then I do." Standing up Tim wandered around looking at the few pictures on the wall before stopping in front of one with the five original Titans in it before turning back to Roy and replying. "I know that...I know that Dick trained Jason like Bat-Man had trained him when he was Robin and that Jason worked with the Titans a few times...But...well this is the weird part Roy...This is like finding out that you have a brother and never knew it." Tim paused and Roy just watched the fifteen year old as he began to speak again. 

"Jason Hart is someone that everyone seems to have forgotten about, Id never heard of him before I found out about him in the Bat-cave three months ago and yet he was trained by Dick and operated with the Titans before suddenly disappearing off the face of the earth...And the only person I know can point me anywhere near him is you...Because you were the last person to see him before he pulled a Scott Free and vanished." 

"Well first off...We haven't forgotten about Jason, he is as much a mystery as Charley Parker is...Charley showed up with his Golden Eagle costume and began trying to be a "hero-for-hire" on the west coast and to this day Dick and I cant figure out how in the hell he managed to put that costume together when he couldn't keep a job to save his life. Me personally I think Charley was a Thangarian scout, Y'know like Hawkman, who liked Earth way to much..." Roy put his bottle of Soder cola down and leaned forward before continuing. "Jason disappeared while he and I worked together in the orient but I haven't forgotten him, not at all...Every once in a while I'll call his sister and pretend I'm some reporter from some hick paper somewhere and ask if she has heard from him and the answer is always the same....She hasn't and they were close Tim." 

"I hate to admit this, but I think Jason is dead." Roy added with a note of finality. 

A dark look crept across Tim's face as he heard that and Tim sighed before shaking his head and finally saying. "OK...Ill tell you the story but I thought you should hear what I thought before I went any further." Tim nodded finally understanding why Roy had went to great lengths to put this off and finally Roy spoke again and this time it was to tell the story. 

Jason Hart looked out into the harbor at the Titans Tower on its island, he had spent the last three hour's with the Titans at a celebration party. They had stopped 'Don' Scarlottie from getting any of his crack cocaine onto the New York street's and that was reason enough to celebrate. 

They had made him an honorary member of the Titans. 

Smiling inwardly Jason pulled the collar of his trenchcoat up and slung his bag over his shoulder as he turned to walk down the pier and back to the life he had put on hold, Jason Hart was going to be a college student in less then a month. His high school graduation went over without a hitch and his grades were good enough for him to receive a full scholarship from the Thomas Wayne memorial scholarship fund. Everything was going to be paid for and if Jason played his cards right he would be at Gotham City University in less then a month studying to become a lawyer. 

A Criminal lawyer. 

Jason had failed to notice the figure lurking in the shadows as he reached the end of the pier and as his hand went out to hail a cab, someone grabbed him by the arm. Spinning with the intention of opening a full can of whup-butt Jason was surprised to find Roy Harper standing before him. "Wha...Roy what are you doing here?" Jason asked as he dropped his curled fist. 

"I got an assignment overseas for the D.E.A., I was thinking of inviting Dick along...I could use some backup." Roy answered as he looked from Jason to the Titans Tower and then back again, looking over his shoulder at the Tower Jason replied in a quiet voice. "Sorry to tell you...but he wasn't there, he was off helping Batman..." Pausing they both exchanged glances before Jason continued. "Let me help you." 

"I don't know Kid..." Roy said his voice trailing off as he glanced around, unsure what he should do, Jason looked back at the Tower and then back towards the second greatest archer in the world before speaking. "You said you needed backup and I've got a month before I'm due at Gotham State...Let's do this Roy...Besides we've worked together, you know how good I am." 

"What are you gonna tell you parents man...?" Roy asked as they turned from the tower and walked towards the streets of New York, Jason's face turned red as he spoke. "The same thing I told them when I came to New York...That I'm spending time at GCU trying to get use to the campus and learn my way around town." Catching the look on Roy's face as he glanced over at the archer, Jason's face turned even more scarlet as he elaborated. "What was I suppose to do...Mom, Dad....I'm the Protector...And I go fight crime when you aren't looking...???" 

Laughter erupted from Roy as they walked down the trash filled streets of the big apple, wiping tears from his eyes he glanced back over to Jason before replying. "I never had that problem...Green Arrow knew what I was doing, for the most part, so I never had to explain where I was going...When I said that the Titans and I had a case he understood." Jason looked at Roy in awe, the red headed archer had lived the life Jason was trying to, Roy at thirteen was having adventures that Jason had only dreamt about and that was seven years ago. "Man that must have been cool, living a life of adventure, being the kid of Green Arrow...Having someone you could go to when you had these sort of problems." 

"Id trade it all for a normal life anytime Jas." Roy replied solemnly. 

Catching the look of Confusion Roy elaborated further. "Yeah I had fun, I got to go places and do stuff that other kids only got to dream about...But then there was the loss of my Father , The loss of Brave Bow, my adopted father and then there was Green Arrow wandering off across country with Green Lantern, leaving me to fend for myself and the Heroin addiction that came as a result of that...." Looking up at the street-lights above them, Roy turned to face Jason and then added. "My childhood Sucked because I made the wrong choices...to be honest with you...That's why I joined the D.E.A. and why I fight drug dealers whenever I get the chance." 

"I never thought of it that way." Jas replied quietly 

"Look Kid...Jason...I need backup and if you want to help me Ill take you with me...I know your pretty good in a fight...Even if you were trained by Dick." Roy said, the last part with a fair amount of sarcasm in his voice, Jason nodded and then added. "Yeah he talks about your archery skills the same way." 

"What's he say about my archery skill's?" Roy asked as he looked back over to Jason suddenly, Jason smiling evilly replied. "Take it easy Roy...He said you were probably better then Green Arrow himself and he said you almost hit Batman with an arrow once." Hailing a cab from the street corner, Jason then added as though it were a after thought. "Besides....You have to be pretty good to ALMOST hit Batman." 

"You think so huh?" Roy asked as he looked from the passing cars to Jason who only nodded and then said. "Yeah...Yeah Id say so...don't be so down on yourself Roy." 

"How good do you have to be to catch the arrow?" Roy asked as the yellow cab pulled up to the curb, not know the full story Jason responded with the only reply that made sense. "You'd have to be Superman." 

"He caught the arrow Jason...with his back turned to me...and he CAUGHT the arrow." Roy replied as he climbed into the cab before Jason, who stood on the street corner genuinely stunned by that revelation and if not for the cab driver speaking Jason probably would have stood on the street corner in stunned silence as the car drove off. "Get in the car or close the door and step back son." Climbing into the car Jason looked over at Roy as he spoke. 

"He caught the arrow?" 

"He caught an arrow?" Tim asked looking up from the Domino's pizza they had ordered, Roy nodded as he finished chewing on his slice before saying. "Hell yeah he caught the friggin' arrow...With his back turned to me, it was a suction cup arrow...But he caught it all the same. What, you didn't know Bruce could catch an arrow?" Stunned into silence Tim shook his head and then looked back down at his piece of pizza as Roy finished off his piece before speaking again. "Yeah I had to be fifteen and Dick told me not to do it...I figured that at most Id get a stern lecture from Ollie...So I fire the arrow and 'ol Bruce snatches it out of the air without looking at it and then turns around and gives me this creepy sideways glare...Y'know the one he gives criminals and I just about wet my pants." 

"I can imagine...I've seen that happen with street criminals before." Tim confided as he picked up another piece of pizza, Roy stood from his chair at the dinner table and opened the fridge to grab a couple more Soder cola's 

"I had nightmares for months afterwards of waking up with a suction cup arrow stuck to my head and Batman standing over me." Roy confessed as he opened the two cola's with the bottle-cap-opener, before turning and handing Tim his, removing the empty bottles from the table Roy sat back down and glanced across the table at the new teen wonder before turning the tables on him and asking him a question. "So who is the 'Spoiler' Tim?" Roy asked and then added. "trying to sneak the girlfriend into the 'Bat-family'??" 

Blushing at the mention of the Spoiler, Tim thought about all of the trouble he had been having trying to date Ariana while fighting crime as Robin and how easy it was to talk to Stephanie Brown when she was the spoiler. 

"The Spoiler is just a..." Tim paused trying to think of away to explain the whole situation but when nothing came to him he finally just said. "..A friend. Her father is a criminal...He calls himself 'Cluemaster' she became the Spoiler to stop him and decided that the suburb's of Gotham needed a crime fighter...Rather then let her go off and endanger herself I've sort of trained her....Well a little." Roy sized Tim up and then smiled as he shook his head and then flipped a soder bottle cap back into the living room. 

Both he and Tim watched as it hit the power button on his stereo and the radio came to life suddenly filling the apartment with rock and roll as Roy continued, giving Tim his best devil may care smile. "Ill skip the part where he and I go back to his rented hotel room to pick up his clothes and the part where he called his parents, Ill just tell you about us in China." Roy said. 

"So tell me about our assignment." Jason said looking out the plane window, excitement and fear had set in and he tried to get comfortable in what little space that was afforded to the both of them both in the back of the cargo plane. The night sky was black with tinges of blue and the stars lit up the Ocean, Roy glanced from the window to Jason before replying. 

"You might not like what I'm about to tell you here Jason." Roy said his voice conveyed that there was something he had kept back until now, Jason picked up on it and the fear was replaced with Anger as Roy spoke. "I was told not to pursue this matter, that in fact if I did I would loose my status with the D.E.A." 

Jason sat stunned in the cramped space of the cargo plane. 

"You have to be kidding me...you are joking right...This is a joke Right Roy?" Jason asked after he regained his voice, Shaking his head in a negative fashion Jason shook his head and then buried his head in his hands. 

"Look General Chow is the biggest and baddest drug dealer in Asia, he IS the supplier of Heroin for the western and eastern hemisphere and certain factions within the CIA has backed him and his organization for a long time." Roy stopped when Jason looked back up and him and then the scarlet archer began to speak again. "They want to protect him...And I ain't gonna stand for that, I had evidence that not only was he the major dealer but he was also into white slavery and other things that made those first two seem like littering." 

"Look I know I should have told you and I'm sorry I didn't, but if you don't want to help me then when we get to Hong Kong then I'll put you on another plane and handle this situation myself." Roy said, Jason shook his head and looked out the window before finally replying. "Ill help you...But you better be straight with me from this point on." 

"Deal." Roy said and then they shook hands and smiled at one another. 

"Wait a second you mean to tell me that you lied to him?" Tim asked suddenly jumping up from his chair in stunned disbelief, Roy stared at the young Robin before replying solemnly. "Yeah...It's not something I'm terrible proud of, as a matter of fact That is probably the single largest reason Dick and I don't get along very well." Looking from Robin, who still stared in disbelief, Roy turned his gaze out the window in shame before continuing. "I screwed up badly...not the first time and my lying certainly wouldn't be the last time during the mission that I fouled up." 

Shaking his head in anger Tim paced along the counter before turning back to Roy Harper before speaking again. "I'm assuming you had a plan when you got to China...You did have a plan right?" 

"Sure I did...There was an embassy party that General Chow was attending, Jason and I infiltrated it and gathered intelligence on the General and his entourage...But it seems that we weren't the only ones gathering Intel on the General...Cheshire was there as well and that is where I meet her for the first time." Roy replied, feeling like he was being questioned by his former boss Sarge Steel from the CBI. "She and I hit it off really well, very well...exceptionally well..." Roy paused thinking of Jade and their daughter Lian. 

Tim cleared his throat. 

"While I was off...Making friendly with Jade, Jason manage to find out that The General was gonna move a major shipment of Heroin the next morning and where he had it stored for the night." Roy added as he pushed his thoughts of the small of Jades back and the curve of her calf muscles to the back of his mind. 

"You mean to tell me that you and Cheshire were off....Making friendly....While you were suppose to be gathering Intelligence?" Tim asked, he had thought Roy Harper was a cool guy and then all of these revelations came out and now Tim thought Roy was a dip stick. "I was gathering my own form of Intelligence there junior, she was hanging around the general that night and little did I know it was to assassinate him...I found that out from her as well as what happen between her and Jason a long time after that...That's why I'm pretty sure he is dead." 

"Wait...she and Jason had a run in....well what happen?" Tim asked, retaking his seat the young Robin gazed intently at Roy as the elder Titan spoke. 

"Look Tim, you might not like how this story ends...I'm pretty sure as a matter of fact." 

"Tell me NOW." Tim said. 

"OK Tim, but I warned you." Roy Replied and the told the story 

The Protector ran like a mad man through the darkened jungles of China, Speedy's flare arrow had ignited the gasoline doused Heroin warehouse and the fire lit up the sky it was so bright. V

They had high fived...And then the soldiers in General Chow's army showed up. 

Speedy had arrows notched and sent them flying before the Protector even had time to think of a way to get out of all of this, yelling to his younger partner to run Speedy remained behind to cover the Protector as he fled. 

The Idea was for Speedy to be right behind the Protector, But he wasn't. 

The Protector came to a stop and slowly looked around trying to regulate his breathing, so he could catch his breath and listen for the approaching Speedy. The sounds of gunfire and the light from the fire seemed closer then it should be and as he stood enshrouded in the shadows waiting for the scarlet archer, the Protector had the feeling that he was being watched. 

Slowly turning his head to glance around he carefully peered into the night...(Nothing....Must be my imagination) The Protector thought and then the sound of movement from the underbrush to his left and with lightning reflexes he spun and was ready for the attack he believed was coming. 

But The Protector fell into one of the oldest military strategies of all time. 

Make your enemy look elsewhere while you attack him from behind. 

The Protector never saw the emerald clad woman drop from the trees above him, he never heard her rise up like a cobra getting read to strike him and he had absolutely no idea she was there until He well muscled leg arched up and slammed her boot into the side of his face. 

Hurled sideways from the impact the Protector slammed bodily into a tree and rebounded to the ground as his face exploded in pain from the blow, slowly crawling to his feet while attempting to wipe blood from his eye's Protector finally beheld his attacker. 

"Where is your friend?" Jade asked looking down at the fallen costumed hero, the contempt evident on her face as she stared down at him. "Have you tried paging him at Customer service?" Protector asked darkly trying to buy more time. 

This was a mistake. 

"I'm su..." Protector began and then the boot heel from Jades foot impacted harshly with his forehead and snapping his head back and sending him tumbling backwards. 

"Let me make myself clear here...I was hired to assassinate General Chow and put his successor into power...You and your friend burning the wharehouse wasn't on the agenda. I'd hope our...Tryst would have left his mind occupied elsewhere for a while...But we both know that wasn't the case." Jade stated simply as the Protector attempted to slowly crawl to his feet again she neared him slowly, weary of this costumed individual and then spoke again, as if an after thought. "If you tell me who and where he is I'll make sure your death is quick and relatively painless." 

"Um...Let me think about this." Protector said, spitting blood from his mouth as stared at the ground for a fleeting second and then answered. 

"Go to hell." 

Had Jason Hart been looking at Jade he would have seen the fury in her eyes and watched as her body tensed ready for the next blow. But he didn't need to see her to know it was coming. Cradling his gut the Protector reached into his belt and pulled the looped Decel-line out as Jades Right foot arched at him, Looping it around her foot as he moved to the right the Protector yanked the rope so that the loop tightened. 

Caught off guard Jade was utterly surprised as she was yanked off her feet as the Protector rolled sideways and stood up. "I'd love to stay and roll around in the grass some more with you, but Speedy and I need to catch a plane." Protector said has he hurled himself into the nearby bushes attempting to put distance between him and Jade. 

Kicking her legs up and underneath her Jade flipped up from her position on the ground and only paused long enough to shred through the decel-line with her claws before chasing after the Protector. 

Racing after him through the underbrush Jade smirked as he ducked behind a tree...He was fast...But not as fast as she was. Moving to the right side of the tree rather then directly following the costumed man Jade came around the tree as he brought his foot up into a high kick aimed at her face. Catching his ankle in her hand Jade raked her claws along his cafe muscle and Jason felt the burning sensation of the poison enter the fresh cuts. 

He screamed and then leapt up with his good leg and kicked at her. 

This time the Protector connected, Jade was thrown as her head snapped sideways from the blow. Impacting with the ground drove the wind from his lungs and the last thing he saw was Jade standing over him as the cold, black darkness enshrouded him. 

Jade stood over the fallen costumed hero for a few seconds considering her next move and how best to explain the failure to her employer when she heard the sounds of Soldiers moving towards her, calculating the odds and realizing that she was vastly out numbered Jade stepped back into the shadows and disappeared into the night. 

"She just left him there?" Tim asked, Roy nodded in affirmation and then spoke. "Yeah Jade's claws are laced with poison...Chances are he went into shock and died in that Jungle." 

Tim looked sadly out the window, Roy slowly stood before speaking. 

"Look kid I'm sorry....I wish I could tell you that she dragged him off somewhere...But she left him in the Jungle...I did look for him that night....I even had some friends look for his body...But no dice...they never found him." 

Tim looked hurt and angry over the revelation, like he had just lost the last bit of hope he had in the world. 

"Not to rush you here or push you out the door...But...When do you have to be back in Gotham?" Roy asked as he saw the clock on the wall, looking at his watch Tim realized that he had forty five minutes to get to the airport. "I've gotta get going Roy...Thanks for answering all of my questions." Tim said without looking directly at the elder Titan before picking up Roy's Phone and calling the Metro-Cab for a cab. 

Tim barely made it to the airport in time to make his plane. 

Standing in the airport waiting for boarding to begin on his plan, Tim considered what it might have been like to work with Jason Hart as the sun set in Metropolis. Looking from the window Tim glanced over to a row of television's and was angry enough to hurl the nearest ash-tray into the screens and would probably have seriously considered it had CNN's International report was on. 

He saw the big map of China behind the anchorman and only caught two words over the den of noise in the airport. 

"General Chow" 

Hurdling the row of seats in-between him and the bank of televisions Tim came to stop as the newscaster continued. 

"Three political prisoners, imprisoned under the iron fist of General Zghan Chow were released and pardoned by the Peoples republic of China today, in an unprecedented show of good will...The former prisoners were people who attempted to stop General Chow's International drug trade and had been imprisoned separately over a period of twenty-three years." Kim Avera said and Tim's focus broke as he looked from the Televisions over to his boarding gate. 

"Chow Kept people imprisoned for twenty-three years...." Tim said as the light of hope began to slowly creep back into the darkness..."If I was the General and my troops found someone in the jungle who had just destroyed a major shipment of my heroin...Id make sure I kept him around long enough to kill him." Tim said. 

Noting that his plane had begun to board Tim moved quickly to return his gym bag to it's locker and then boarded the plane. 

If Jason was alive there was only one person who could find him. 

Batman. 

While Tim was trying to figure out how to get Bruce to go to China on a hunch, someone was trying to figure out how to get out of China. 

Darkness. 

Darkness is where he dwelled for almost two years until he awoke from his coma. 

No one knew why the American had been kept in the prison like hospital veiled in secrecy...No one that is except General Chow and he had been killed a little over three and a half years ago. The Doctor's not know who the young man was went about healing him as best they could and eventually he regained consciousness. His rehabilitation was slow and agonizing, During the day the young man had to learn to walk all over again and had to slowly regain his strength, strength that hadn't been used in two years. His body had to rebuild itself from the ground up...But at night his mind was racing, he knew how to free himself...and it was only a matter of time. 

And in that year he had in that hospital he rebuilt himself, familiarized himself with it's lay-out and one dark and storming night, when lightning struck and the electricity failed He picked up a metal desk chair from his room and spun in a circle before hurling it into the window in his room. 

The glass shattered and fell with the rain outside but the mesh beyond the window didn't yield, the guards alerted to the sound of breaking glass began racing down the long narrow hallway. 

"Live free or Die." He said and then leapt into the mesh outside his window and rebounded off it, climbing to his feet again he hurled himself into the mesh once more and it sprung open as the guards smashed through his door and he fell free of the hospital like the glass and rain before him. 

"I'm FREE" Jason Hart cried as he fell, snagging the flagpole extended from the building Jason ripped the ropes from it and swung away from the building, slamming into the top of an ambulance Jason bounced from it into a fountain. Standing up in the pouring rain Jason smiled and then took off running as the guards pursued him into the night. 

[THE END....For now. ][1]

   [1]: fiction.html



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